Kathy and Perley Jay Benson have shared a lot in their 42 years together, and a love of travel and all things that take you there is something that they truly enjoy, so much so that they decided to take their lives on the road.

After 25 years of living and working in Alaska, they decided to retire and purchase a 1980 Eagle bus conversion to get out and explore in style.

They now live in the bus and spend their winter months in Parker, Ariz., on the Colorado River and spend their summer months traveling to what Perley says are "cooler climates, and (we) try to stay about 80 to 90 degrees."

Between the two of them, they have owned and driven - and even flown! - numerous classic rides that would make any gearhead envious.

They realized that they wanted to also have with them a smaller vehicle as an option to zip around in. In came Shorty. Shorty is their cute, custom Honda. To call it highly modified or customized is an understatement.

Perley explains, "Shorty is a 1972 Honda Z coupe that was modified to fit in the baggage compartment of our Eagle bus."

You read that right, they converted the Honda car to fit inside the bus' baggage compartment.

That way, when they stop wherever they decide to travel to, they are free to leave their mobile home and check out the scenery in a speedy little sportster rather than being limited to the locations that a big bus (aka their whole house) can require.

To make such a modification took some work, and you aren't likely to ever find one just like it.

Perley continues, saying, "Thirty one inches was cut from the center section, (the) top removed, and a chrome moly frame work (was) fabricated to provide structural support."

The Honda Z coupe was actually introduced to the market in 1970, shortly before the gas crisis hit.

An economical option for consumers, the "sport coupe" was produced in this form just from 1970-1972, and was the lead in for the now-mainstay Honda Civic, which was introduced in 1973.

Shorty has a typical Z coupe 2 cylinder Honda engine, a 4 cycle 36 horsepower motor and a 4 speed transmission. The teeny tiny coupe is a convertible, and houses its fabric convertible top in the trunk when not in use. The car has a 50 inch wheelbase.

Perley says that, despite its diminutive stature, it, "drives like a big car and top speed is about 70 miles per hour."

However just because it can reach those speeds, he doesn't exactly recommend using it for regular every day highway travel, adding that it is, "not really a freeway car" and that, "big semi trucks seem huge when you are next to them!"

The happy couple is living the life they had dreamed of, together out in the world. Perley says, "We have been retired 17 years and 'on the road' the whole time and living our dream!"

Here's to many more years of travel and adventure for these two love birds.